A Perfect Day For Bananafish Essay

I was never a huge fan of children. I was never the girl to babysit all of the kids on my block. I was never the girl to spark up a conversation with a little girl or boy. I am the younger sibling and I have no younger cousins; I was the baby of the family, so I never really had to deal with children growing up. I never know what to say when I am talking to children because they do not understand the world the same way I do. Up until now, I never thought of that as a good thing. Seymour, a character from A Perfect Day for a Bananafish, is in a similar situation after returning from war with a severe case of PTSD. He talks to the children because they do not understand all of the tragedies of the world. Seymour has an easier time communicating

The incongruous protagonist, who samples the plum puddings without purchasing anything is presently poor and without the economic means to avert the deprivation of uncountable privations. Probatively, the mentioned point is suggested in the following quotation: “[…] to wipe his red eyes with a large torn handkerchief which he drew from the breast pocket of his shoddy overcoat”. In conclusion, the quotation suggests his indigently wretched situation. Firstly, the protagonist’s red eyes are an indication of the deprivation of sleep, probably, due to the fact that the protagonist is in a lack of a permanent address. Furthermore, the characteristic uses

Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye has been into continuous dispute and controversy since its publication in 1951. Some critics think that Salinger 's narrative of the human plight is engrossing and enlightening, yet incredibly depressing. The leading character, Holden Caulfield, serves as the basis for critical discussion due to his psychological conflict. Salinger 's portrayal of Holden, which encloses incidents of dejection, nervous breakdown, impulsive spending, sexual exploration, and other wandering behavior, have all assist to the controversial nature of the novel. Yet the novel is praised by its piercing advocates, who argue that it is a critical look at the problems facing American youth during the 1950 's.

A Perfect Day For Bananafish was written in 1948 by the American writer Jerome David Salinger. This was just three years after the ending of World War II, where Salinger was stationed in Berlin, Germany. From further analysis of the short-story I have come to the conclusion that Seymour is Salinger’s role model. Seymour has just returned from World War II, as well as Salinger had when he wrote the story. Seymour returns to his native country very confused, dysfunctional and with some psychic issues.

Written in 1951, J.D. Salinger’s, The Catcher in the Rye continues to be a popular book amongst Americans. Although The Catcher in the Rye has been banned in many public school settings in the United States it continues to stay atop some of the greatest books of all time lists. Whether people are in their teens or in their fifties they find themselves drawn to Holden Caulfield. At some point in their life they could relate to a sense of alienation, caused by money and wealth. Humans are wired to be jealous and want what others have. Holden Caulfield has the opposite problem, he has money and wealth which he inherited from his hard working parents. However, he himself is not motivated to work hard, graduate prep school and earn his own wealth. Instead he despises hard working students at the many prep schools he drops out of. Holden also has a big number of family complications. An area to explore is how wealth can contribute to feelings of alienation and despair. Holden Caulfield has a complex relationship with money, not wanting to associate from it, but benefiting from it. A further look into the 1950’s may give an insight into the troubled mind of Holden Caulfield.

If any single element creates impact in J. D. Salinger's “A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” it is the author's setting of a tragedy within a framework of the absolutely ordinary. Seymour Glass and his wife, Muriel, never actually interacting in the story, are staying in a Florida hotel, and everything surrounding them evokes mid-20th century American values. This environment then underscores the greater reality, which is that neither husband or wife is capable of understanding the other, and Salinger's emphasis on dialogue, tone, and dark humor combine to make Seymour's suicide both shocking and, upon reflection, understandable. What primarily evolves is an utter lack of true understanding between the couple.

Change is difficult, perhaps for the reason of the perceived fear associated with it and the risk of challenging of traditional values. John Salinger’s post-WWII novel, “Catcher in the Rye” explores the context of the 1950s through the psychological and physical tribulations of Holden Caulfield, an isolated, troubled adolescent, searching for satisfaction in an ever-changing world. Accommodating a contextual shift, Gary Ross’ sitcom film ‘Pleasantville’ illustrates the course of contemporary attitudes that initiate changes to the utopian world of 1950’s society, thus also representing the shifts in values and attitudes of American society. Salinger uses multiple literary devices including first-person, symbolism, metaphor and tone to convey

A Perfect Day for Bananafish, a short story by J. D. Salinger, was written in 1948, a harsh time for Americans; men were back in their homes, the women were able to see their husbands again, and the ‘VA’s were full. Only, the war hadn’t just ended. It had ended 3 years earlier. This was still too early for many men returning from the war. These men still had such terrible, mostly untreated, PTSD, that the VA hospitals released them before they were ready to return to the general population. This is what the story addresses; this is what Salinger was trying to show to all Americans. This isn't just any story; this is actually an anti-war propaganda showing how PTS and PTSD negatively affect veterans, the lack of support from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the misunderstanding of the civilian population. It shows the terrible effect of war on both veterans and their loved ones. It shows what happens when our government doesn’t show appreciation to the defenders of our freedoms.

Since the bananafish has eaten so many bananas, the fish becomes “so fat they can't get out of the hole again. Can't fit through the door” (Salinger). Naturally, once the bananafish dies in the hole after becoming trapped and contracting “banana fever. It's a terrible disease” (Salinger). The death of the bananafish through its own gluttony heightens the effect of the motif of death throughout the short story.

At the end of “A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” Seymour Glass commits suicide while on vacation in Florida with his wife, Muriel, by shooting himself in the head while Muriel sleeps on the twin bed next to him. It seems like a crazy thing to do. People would say that only someone with severe mental problems does something like that. Seymour is a military veteran, a poet, a “Wise Child,” and an extremely complicated man. A number of J.D. Salinger’s writings reveal pieces of Seymour’s character, including “A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” “Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters,” Franny and Zooey,” and “Seymour — an Introduction,” which I read, hoping to gain more insight on why Seymour does what he does.

John Steinbeck suggests that “ to a monster the norm must seem monstrous, since everyone is normal to himself”. Just as some people are born missing limbs or with another physical birth defect, such as a birthmark, others could be born missing a trait vital to communicate with the world around them or lose a trait throughout the course of their life. Although this missing trait is not visible to others in society, does not mean it is any less serious. For instance, Seymour has a severe case of PTSD after returning from war that causes his actions to seem ‘abnormal’ to those around him, even his family. Furthermore, Seymour finds that the actions of those around him, the materialistically obsessed, are difficult for him to cope with. In J.D. Salinger’s “A Perfect Day for Bananafish”, Salinger depicts how life is for the “monsters” like Seymour in such a materialistic society. Seymour, a seemingly normal man to the naked eye, is secluded from the world around him. Searching for an escape from such an uninviting society, Seymour takes some big grasps for help before committing to his eventual demise. Salinger begins his depiction of Seymour through disdain before he brings the audience to his heart breaking conclusion. Salinger indicates that the emotionally fragile cannot survive in a materialistic and superficial society because society is not willing to accept those who are different.

Seymour uses this metaphor to compare himself with the bananafish that is too full with bananas, he is too full of anxiety to fit into society

War can change people to the point of suicide, which is what Seymour has felt in his life after the war. J.D. Salinger wrote a story called “A perfect day for Bananafish”. This story is about a man that was a veteran in WWII, who has acquired a few mental problems because of it. When he meets a little girl named Sybil, and they go into the ocean together. They see these fish that eat bananas until they get too fat to get out of their hole and die.

The word, “bananafish” may seem like one of the many imaginary words of a child, but this was actually thought up by a character named Seymour Glass; a man with the mind of a non-adolescent, and the body of a grown person. Married and in love, Seymour goes off to fight in World War II. Upon his return, he suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Therefore mentally setting him back for the rest of his life. For example, through the course of the story, a reader may notice how he tends to block off most of the people who care about him. J.D. Salinger lived with a similar mindset to Seymour; he blocked off, not only his loved ones, but society overall. At the time of writing, “A Perfect Day for Bananafish,” he had an interest in Zen Buddhism. In Zen Buddhism, self-tranquility is a very strong factor to practicing the religion. However, they both may be private, but Seymour Glass has the mindset of a child, due to the war trauma. Sybil, a child Seymour meets on the beach, is a symbol for Seymour’s mind. His childlike mindset causes him trouble adjusting to the reality of society. The cruel reality for Seymour is the greed the people in his life have. Therefore the term Banana Fever is a reference to the greed in society. Just like the Bananafish are greedy for bananas, humans are greedy as well. So, while everyone is infected with Banana fever. Seymour turns to a serious solution. With this being said, In the story, "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" JD Salinger uses symbolism

Salinger’s use of the Bananafish is symbolic of the greedy nature inevitably found in humans. The bananafish is Seymour’s invented sea creature that is the epitome of selfishness and gluttony; it eats an abundance of bananas and eventually dies of banana fever. The bananafish is significant in conveying how people are consumed with superficial and shallow desires and how their greed will lead to their demise. Seymour tells Sybil the story of the bananafish stating that once they get in the hole where there is many bananas, “they behave like pigs… and eat as many as seventy-eight bananas” (14). The bananafish draws parallels to the gluttony of people like Muriel, whose life revolves around consumerism. By saying they behave like pigs, Salinger conveys how individuals lose rationality and are overcome with a desire for more and more objective things. Seymour tells Sybil that the bananafish, “eat so many bananas they can’t get out of the banana hole” (10). This shows that once individuals are introduced to the greed and pettiness prevalent in society, it’s impossible to avoid. Seymour characterizing the bananafish in such ways represents his struggle to deal with the society he was once assimilated in, after fighting in war. As